Bartok gets sick
by CSMichaelis
Summary: Bartok isn't feeling well and Zozi us in charge of looking after his little friend. no flames please. I don't own Bartok the magnificent.
1. Chapter 1

Bartok sighed as he allowed his head to rest on the pillow once more. He made an attempt to get up but found that the room began to spin around him and it became clear that he would have a difficult time. A harsh coughing fit amplified the pain in his throat and made his body ache. He moaned softly and threw off his blanket.

"Good, you're awake, I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day" Zozi commented.

"No, gotta get up an' get goin."

"You can't be serious. The only time you stay in bed this long is when you're not feeling well and judging by the sound of your coughing, you feel pretty sick right now, don't you?"

"Doesn't matter I-"

"It does to me. I'm not about to send you out there like this." Zozi walked over to stand by the bed.

"We need the money, I can't just-"

"Have you looked outside, snow as far as the eye can see, suppose something happens, if for whatever reason you end up in it, not only will you freeze but you are not exactly-"

"I'll be fine."

"I know, because you're staying right there. We have enough saved for you to rest if you need to." Zozi placed a finger on the small bat's head. Bartok pulled away.

"Don't. I need to know if you have a fever, don't hide it from me, you always do that." The bear was clearly frustrated.

"That's cause you panic. I hate when you do that."

"I only panicked because you had no idea what you were doing, you didn't know who I was or where we were. That isn't like you. Not to mention the fact that I almost lost you. I just can't let you get that sick again."

"I won't. I said I was sorry." Bartok pointed out.

"'Sorry would not have given you back to me. Anyway, there's no point in being sorry, you couldn't help it. It's not as if you intended to scare me half to death. It was my fault. If I had managed to get that job, we could have gotten you to a doctor and given you medicine before you got that way." The bear said remorsefully.

"Come on Zozi, ya can't really blame yourself for that. Sometimes money just isn't easy to get." Another harsh coughing fit made the tiny bat gasp for air.

"It's okay, I-I'll be okay in a second." Bartok said quickly noticing the worried expression on his friend's face.

"You always take care of everything. Even now as you lie in front of me, you tell me It's okay, let me worry about things for a while, you're always such a brave little bat. You need to rest, I don't want this illness progressing into something that would be too much for you."

"I think you're worryin' too much. I'm not dyin'"

"You had better not." Zozi warned he attempted to check once more for a fever. This time bartok allowed it. He sighed knowing what would happen next.

"You were hiding it from me, your little head is on fire!" Zozi exclaimed in a mixture of anger and concern.

"How long have you had this fever?"

"It started last night." Bartok admitted.

"And you didn't bother telling me this."

"Well no, look at ya. I was tryin' to keep this from happening. I'm not gonna sit here and argue over this." Bartok threw the blanket off of his tiny body and stood up on the bed.

"What, pray tell do you think you're doing now?"

"Goin' out. I'm not doin' this today. I know you're worried, but I can't-" The dizziness increased and he found he couldn't stand. Slowly, he sat down.

"Bartok, what's wrong?" Zozi asked now kneeling on the floor to get a better look.

" I think I'm just gonna lie down a little longer." Zozi picked him up and placed him back under the cover.

"I'm going to get the doctor, I can't let this go on." The bear announced anxiously.

"No. We don't have money for that. I'll be fine." Zozi shook his head.

"Where's Alyx when you need him?"

"Relax, I just need to sleep."

"As far as you know that's all. What if you end up with pneumonia?"

"Well, if that happens, I'll need a lot more sleep. Usually doctor says rest is most important."

"Will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Rest"

"If you'll let me." Bartok said closing his eyes.

"You'll tell me if you need anything?"

"Yeah."

" I'll bring you something for the fever." Zozi promised.

"Thank you." The bat replied simply. He closed his eyes."This is gonna be the longest few days of my life."


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you alright?" Zozi asked cautiously as he looked at the small bat resting on the bed.

"Am I breathing?"

"I would assume so."

"Then I'm fine, just like I was five minutes ago and the five minutes before that and in ten minutes, ya know what Zozi, I'll be fine then too." The bear sighed. He couldn't help himself, the previous illness still weighing on his mind.

"I'm sorry. I know you should be able to rest and I haven't given you much opportunity to do that. I shouldn't have woken you up. I just couldn't tell if you-" Bartok coughed sharply and sat up. His whole body ached and his head spun.

"I didn't mean to snap, you were worried,I had no right, I should be sorry."

"I need to check your temperature again." Zozi knelt down by the bed.

"Do you want your water?" Bartok nodded and Zozi reached over to the bedside table, he helped the little bat drink before placing a finger I'm his head.

"It doesn't seem to be worse but it isn't going down either."

"Give it time." Bartok laid back down pulling the blanket close.

"Do you want to try eating, you haven't had anything to eat today."

"No.I'm just tired." Zozi sighed

"You will let me know won't you, if you change your mind?" Bartok nodded.

"Get some rest." The bear stood up.

"I'm workin' on it. You sure you don't want me to-"

"I will handle things, you rest. It's about time you had some time off anyway."

"I can't take too much time off we're not rich."

"Stop worrying, you will only make yourself worse and don't push yourself, Alyx should be coming back from his trip very soon. I want you to rest until then, he would be able to tell us what it is."

"I can tell ya what it is, I have a cold."

"For my own peace of mind Bartok, please let him check you. After last time I don't-"

"If it makes ya fee better. I'll do it."

"Thank you. I know you don't care much for doctor visits but at least he won't ask for a lot of money."

"He never asks for any at all."

"I'm grateful that you have a Godfather that's so devoted to you, it helps." Zozi said.

"Can you bring the water back over here?" Bartok sniffled. Zozi did as his friend requested.

"Would you like me to make tea, it might help you.?" Bartok shook his head.

"I just wanna sleep. I'm sorry, I'm just so tired." Bartok laid back down.

"You don't need to apologize. I want you to rest, it can only help. When Alyx comes back, I'll get him to come here. I believe he should be here the day after tomorrow or so."

"I can't stay in here that long, I have-"

"Bartok, I told you that I will handle things, trust me."

"I do. I just don't like you havin' all this added-"

"You do it everyday, lie back and take whatever time you need." Zozi said gently.

"Are you really sure?"

"I am positive I can handle things yes. I will be just fine. I realize up until now, I have placed a lot of responsibility on you, you are the one to bring in the money, and then I leave you to-" Bartok's harsh coughing stopped Zozi.

"That sounded terribly painful, perhaps we shouldn't wait for him to return."

"No, It sounded a lot worse than it was." Bartok gasped trying to catch his breath.

"Why don't I believe that?" There was a moment of silence.

"I am going to find you a doctor. I won't watch this progress any further. I won't lose you over money trouble."

"You worry too much, I'm not gonna die from a cold."

"Colds don't make it that difficult to breathe either."

"I'll be fine."

"Prove it, let me get a doctor."

"You don't trust me." It wasn't a question, Bartok had stated it with a tone of sadness.

"You're wrong, you tend to try to shield me from your illnesses. I cannot and will not allow that anymore. You should not hide these things from me."

"You know I-"

"Lie still, that is the end of the conversation. You're going to get checked, I will figure out the money issue later, your health is more important." Zozi said before leaving Bartok in the room alone with no time to argue.


	3. Chapter 3

"This again, why must you fight me?"

"You don't seem to understand, if you do that, we don't have money for things we need." Bartok said in frustration.

"I told you to stop worrying. As long as you have what you need, it will be fine."

"No Zozi, it really won't."

"I'm a bear, I can always try fishing, it would certainly cut back on the food, I eat most of it anyway." Bartok chuckled.

"I'd like to see that, you won't even go swimming and you're gonna fish, bears usually go in the water for that don't they?"

"I'm sure I could make a fishing pole,"

"Yeah, cause it worked so well last time."

"You're not going to let that go are you?" Zozi crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You brought up fishing, I didn't."

"I'm glad you found it amusing." Zozi replied sarcastically. Bartok coughed.

"Are you al-"

"Yeah, we talked about that didn't we?"

"That was before your fever spiked."

"It came back down."

"Don't do that." Zozi said slowly becoming irritated.

"Don't do what?"

"Make it seem like It's nothing."

"It is nothing."

"Stop it. If it was nothing, we wouldn't be here right now."

"I'm only in here cause you-"

"You're in here because you need to be. I won't spend another second arguing about this."

"Good, cause I'm tired of hearin' about it." Bartok said sipping some water.

"Every time you're ill we go through this-"

"So stop it."

"How is it my fault?" Zozi asked incredulously.

"I'm not the one who gets upset when I move or cough."

"You know why i-"

"Yeah, I do, doesn't change the fact that you do it and then I get angry and you get upset cause I get upset, It's a big mess. All I'm askin' for is a little break from the fighting, you can yell at me all ya want later, right now, I'm tired, I don't feel real good and I've had enough."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"For argument's sake, let's say you're right, I'm sicker than I realize, if I'm gonna die, what can you do about it?"

"Get a doctor for one-"

"We don't have money for that. Even if we did, what good would it do if I need medicine?"

"I-I would think of something." Bartok shook his head and sat up.

"Zozi, sometimes things happen and you can't stop it. The point I'm trying to make is this, there's no use worryin' about something you can't change. It's a painful truth but It's a fact."

"You better not die." Zozi said angrily. Bartok looked at his friend for a long moment.

"You didn't understand a word I said did you?"

"Of course I did."

"No, ya know what your problem is Zozi, you have selective hearing. The only words you picked out of this whole conversation were 'I'm gonna die.' Tell the truth."

"So what, it doesn't-"

"Look at me." Bartok said calmly.

"What?"

"Look at me, what am I doin' right now?" Zozi, though obviously confused looked at the small bat.

"Sitting." He answered simply.

"Right. Would I be sitting up if I was that sick?"

"For all I know you're just trying to make me feel better by using some sort of..."

"You're reachin' now. You don't even know what you're sayin' admit it, this time you went too far and couldn't even finish the argument." Bartok coughed harshly feeling pain in his ribs as he tried to catch his breath. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Lie down, you need to rest."

"If you say that one more time, I'm gonna be irritated."

"I only want to help you. You are very precious to me."

"Ya really wanna help?"

"Yes."

"Then relax. Everything's gonna be fine, alright?" Zozi nodded. Bartok laid back down and closed his eyes.

"Are you going to rest?"

"I'm tryin' to. If you give me the chance. Maybe you should go read or somethin' take your mind off things, it'll help both of us."

"When Alyx comes back, will you see him?" Bartok sighed.

"Zozi, you worry too much."

"Please?"

"If I say yes will ya stop?"

"I'll try."

"Fine."

"Good. I'm happy that we came to this agreement."

"Zozi, your my best friend and I love ya like a brother but some days ya drve me up a wall." Zozi smiled faintly.

"Well that is what brothers are for." The bear chuckled.

"I only do it because I consider you to be family too, I want you to be alright."

"I will be."

"Do you want me to make you some tea?"

"If you want to, I wouldn't say no."

"Good, it be back in a few minutes." Zozi said turning to leave the room.

"Yeah,I can have some peace an quiet, I'll enjoy it while I can." The small bat pulled the covers close around his body.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that last comment." The bear exited the room leaving his friend to enjoy a short nap.


End file.
